Entrenched interests are one of the most difficult things to overcome in business. It’s the foundation of most corporate politics, kingdom building and bad decisions. Some people in charge see only their interests and act solely with regard to those. Only when their interests are not in play do they focus on the business.
In these situations it is often important to overcompensate versus a normal approach. Giving someone that is going to be opposed to something new a regular opportunity to help is the same as giving them a window to shut down the idea before it even gets started. It may be impossible to leave them out entirely but that doesn’t mean you need to treat them like an ally.
There are many ways to force someone to act against their entrenched interest but they all involve preparation and standing up to people in a “higher” position.
I have a colleague that taught me to always learn the rules of the game because that’s the only way you can win by them. Winning is what we are all here to do. Succeeding in your job is winning. Bringing new ideas to market is winning. Saving the company money while improving services is winning. Not letting politics cause good ideas to die is winning.
Sometimes that means you have to stop being nice and focus only on overcoming obstacles. Sometimes that means blowing someone up before they have an opportunity to act badly.